You’ve Probably Been Playing the Most Popular Merfolk Commander Wrong

Last updated on April 10, 2025

Hakbal, of the Surging Soul – illus. Tyler Walpole

The Rules Update Bulletin for Tarkir: Dragonstorm went up yesterday. Much to be expected, new rules were written for Omen, Behold, and all the other brand new mechanics that came with the set. However, one decidedly non-draconic surprise caught us off guard.

Do you love playing Hakbal, of the Surging Soul in Commander? Well, buckle up, because it looks like we may have been playing one of the more popular Merfolk commanders incorrectly. In yesterday's update, WotC announced that a new rule had been introduced to clarify how Hakbal’s ability works. Let’s dive in to the ruling and see if it changes anything!

The #1 Merfolk Commander of All-Time

If you've never seen Hakbal, of the Surging Soul before, it's an explore + Merfolk commander that was introduced with Lost Caverns of Ixalan: Commander. There aren't many other potential commanders that focus on explore, so Hakbal has carved out a solid niche for himself. He also makes a great inclusion in the 99s of other Merfolk commanders like Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca, but he's quickly jetted to the #1 Merfolk commander, and the #29 commander overall commander on EDHRec.

Getting Crystal Clear on Explore

Jadelight Ranger – illus. Jason Rainville

The new Hakbal ruling essentially clarifies how multiple permanents exploring at the same time works. This was a a design space that is almost entirely unique to Hakbal, with the only other cards that function similarly being Lethal Scheme and Change of Plans (which can both force multiple instances of connive at the same time). The new ruling reads:

701.40d. If multiple permanents are instructed to explore at the same time, the first player in APNAP Order who controls (or, in the case of a permanent no longer on the battlefield, last controlled; see rule 701.40c) one or more of those permanents chooses one of them and it explores. Then this process is repeated for each remaining instruction to explore.

source: Yawgatog

Decoding the New Rule

Forensic Researcher illus. – Aldo Dominguez

For more on APNAP, check our article about priority. One important wrinkle to Hakbal is that your opponents cannot respond between explores. Let's say you control five Merfolk creatures (each with 3 toughness) and put a trigger on the stack that instructs each of them to explore. The only window one of your opponents has to Lightning Bolt him would be before the first instance of explore. You resolve the explores as part of Hakbal's ability, which means you'll get to resolve all five actions before anyone else gets priority.

The reason it doesn't work like this is because explore is a keyword action, which happens as the result of a triggered ability. It's easy to think that each instance of explore would resolve individually, as that feels perfectly intuitive with how single instances of explore play out.

Impactful Nuance in EDH?

Gone are the days of simple merfolk like good ‘ol Merfolk of the Pearl Trident with walls of lore-filled flavor text. In our current era of MTG, blocks of rules text are only getting longer and longer. With each new set comes new keywords, unseen interactions, and infinite possibilities. The complexity of the game only stands to increase.

Ultimately this is a pretty minor clarification. EDH is known for many things, but wins that come down to responding to individual explores are generally not calling cards!

If you have a Hakbal deck or are interested in building one, this is a good thing to know. Next time you peep a Hakbal player trying to engage in wild mid-explore shenanigans, refer them back to this article! Hakbal doesn't see a ton of tournament play, but it's from an ultra popular precon for casual players and beginners. Typal commanders are only growing in popularity, so we're glad that WotC took action to clarify here.